Goalpost

/ˈɡoʊlpoʊst/ noun

Definition

One of the vertical posts that form the frame of a goal in sports like soccer, football, or hockey.

Etymology

Compound of 'goal' and 'post' (a vertical support structure). The term literally describes the posts that stand at the goal.

Kelly Says

The phrase 'moving the goalposts' is so common in business and politics that we forget 'goalpost' originally meant literal wooden pillars—metaphors in language are so powerful they often hide their physical origins.

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